1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bamboo tube connection and an arrangement for making a connection between bamboo tubes.
By way of indication a typical situation of use for such a connection is in the production of articles of furniture, for the assembly for example of beds, sofas, chairs, couches and the like from bamboo tubes.
2. Discussion of the Background
A problem which arises in connection with the production of articles of furniture, for example consisting of bamboo tubes as a support structure, is that despatch of the article in the finished assembled condition frequently involves a very large volume for transportation, and this therefore entails a high level of transportation costs. It is therefore increasingly the practice for articles of furniture to be delivered in a xe2x80x98knocked-downxe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98flat-packxe2x80x99 form.
In that respect, consideration may be given to U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,065 which discloses producing corner connections consisting of bamboo tubes, in which one bamboo tube meets in butting relationship another continuous bamboo tube in which a longitudinal insert member is introduced into the tube which terminates in a butting configuration, and is joined to the other tube.
It will be noted however that it is necessary to provide a blind hole corresponding to the diameter of the tube which ends in a butting configuration, in the peripheral surface of the other tube, with the bottom thereof then being pressed against the end face of the tube with a butting end.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bamboo tube connection and in particular a releaseable bamboo connection which can be assembled in a simple rapid fashion to afford a high-stability connection formed from the bamboo tubes, for example for constituting a ready-for-use article of furniture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a releaseable bamboo tube connection, more specifically both an angled connection and also for aligned longitudinal connection, which can be used for articles of furniture consisting of bamboo tubes to permit despatch thereof in the form of portions of the article of furniture or even in the form of individual bamboo tubes, permitting the article of furniture to be assembled quickly and easily at its intended place of use to afford a high-stability structure.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention the foregoing and other objects are attained by the bamboo tube connection and connecting arrangement set forth herein.
It will be noted that the form of connection that is most frequently required is a corner connection which in particular defines a right-angled configuration. In contrast to producing articles of furniture using connectors in plate shape, by a procedure whereby the plates are frequently fitted to each other in a bevel configuration in the corner region, bamboo tubes are generally brought into butting relationship with each other, wherein an end face of a first bamboo tube which meets the second bamboo tube in butting relationship can either be cut to length to form a flat end face or it can have a for example part-circular or channel-shaped recess to adapt it to the external contour of the second bamboo tube.
A first aspect of the configuration according to the invention lies in a longitudinal connector which extends in the longitudinal direction of a first bamboo tube, in particular in the center thereof, into the other bamboo tube, and is held therein in insert members which are arranged fixedly with the bamboo tubes and which comprise any suitable material, for example generally wood, and which are disposed fixedly in the interior of the respective bamboo tubes.
In such a case, the longitudinal connector used can be a screw, which permits the two tubes to be tightened to each other to any desired degree, at any event without leaving play therebetween, or alternatively it is possible to use transverse dowels or pin members which are fitted through the longitudinal connector in positively locking relationship therewith.
Another configurational aspect of the invention involves screwing angle assembly members to first and second bamboo tubes which are secured together in a corner configuration, with the angle assembly members being disposed in the internal angle formed by the two tubes.
In another aspect, when dealing with tubes which are in alignment, for connecting bamboo tubes extending in parallel relationship, a longitudinal insert member which extends in the interior across the join between the bamboo tubes is non-rotatably fixed in the two bamboo tubes, for example by means of transverse dowels or pin members. When dealing with tubes which are disposed in parallel relationship, with or without a longitudinal insert member, one or more transverse dowels or pin members can be fitted for example by being driven through the walls, which are disposed in mutually side-by-side relationship, of the bamboo tubes to be connected.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description hereinafter of preferred embodiments thereof.